Political Science students have the opportunity to hone their research skills alongside world-class scholars of comparative and international politics.

Research opportunities include:

Honors Theses: Year-long research projects conducted in a student’s senior year under the direction of a faculty mentor.  Writing an Honors Thesis is highly recommended for students considering applying to graduate school.  Students wishing to write a thesis must find a mentor and submit a thesis proposal in the spring of their junior year.  Please see our Political Science Honors Thesis Website for details regarding eligibility and thesis requirements.

Independent Study: Semester-long research projects conducted under the direction of a faculty mentor.  Students who are interested in doing an independent study project should look at the list of full-time Political Science faculty members and contact the faculty member whose research interests are most similar to the topic that the student is interested in researching.

Research Assistanceships: Students have the opportunity to learn valuable professional research skills by assisting with a faculty member’s research project.  Beginning in Fall 2017, students will have the opportunity to earn course credit for assisting a faculty member by enrolling in POL 5030/POL 5031:  Research Practicum in Political Science.  On occasion, funding for paid research assistanceships may also be available.  Students interested in assisting with a faculty member’s research should look at the list of full-time Political Science faculty members and contact faculty members whose research topics are of interest.  Not all faculty members will have openings for research assistants every semester.